"Midnight": I know what Coldplay are doing

I assume you've at least heard of Coldplay. I might be so bold as to assume you've heard a Coldplay song. Perhaps you've heard the band's newest song "Midnight," which has been averaging over 1 million YouTube views per day since its release. The song sounds kind of weird, doesn't it? I must admit, it doesn't sound like anything you'd hear on the radio. It doesn't even sound like Coldplay. I just think you should know, Coldplay have never really had their own sound anyways.

Coldplay released their first single "Brothers and Sisters," as well as their first music video "Bigger Stronger," in 1999. I may not be George Washington, but I cannot tell a lie: Coldplay were basically a soft rock rip off of Radiohead. Chris Martin's voice was the meager impression of Thom Yorke and Jonny Buckland had Jonny Greenwood's guitar effects down to a T. 15 years later and Coldplay are now one of the biggest bands in the world. They recently released a track with some nocturnal electronica vibes, which might seem cool and futuristic to people who only listen to popular music. This is new territory for Coldplay, but the band's influences are just as borrowed as they were 15 years ago.

Chris Martin isn't impersonating Thom Yorke on "Midnight," but with the help of a vocoder, he sounds a darn lot like Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. The line "when I'm rolling with the punches" uses the exact same note-for-note hook that is heard on the line "'til one night, one stormy night" on their 2011 hit "Paradise." These factors prove Coldplay's lack of originality. However, this new track is produced by Jon Hopkins, an electronica artist who made one of my personal favorite albums of 2013. "Midnight" isn't nearly as corny as anything from 2011's "Mylo Xyloto." These aspects give me some hope for Coldplay's future. I'm still just on the fence about this new song, but I'm not budging any time soon. After all, Coldplay have spent their entire career on the fence.

Coldplay have tried mimicking everyone from Radiohead to U2, from Arcade Fire to New Order, and apparently are now stretching from Bon Iver to Jon Hopkins. I'm curious; what does Coldplay sound like?

Coldplay were one of my personal favorite bands growing up. I am now cynical and have abandoned my childhood music tastes. Don't get me wrong, Coldplay deserves some credit for consistently trying new things. They just need to stop taking baby steps in different directions and take an artistic leap forward. "Midnight" is a baby step into the world of overly-popular hipster music. People who wear fake glasses and expensive scarves might play this song on their iPhone after some M83 or Matt & Kim. The song is a cry for hipster cred. At the same time, Coldplay remain blandly ambient enough that your mom might dig this song. "Midnight" may sound dark, but never too dark. Martin repeats "leave a light on" five times here. 

I know what Coldplay are doing. Something different, nothing bold.

I hope that "Midnight" doesn't trick you into thinking Coldplay is a weird band now. I hope you explore the history of pop music genres and learn all the different artists that have been making music like this for the past 30 years. I hope you decide to take progressive leaps in your lives and as Chris Martin sang in 2002, "I hope you understand."

Beck is back!

"Morning Phase" is Beck's first album in nearly six years. Holy crap. This is the guy who made "Loser" and "Where It's At." I basically worshiped him when I was a junior in high school. Since then, my love for Mr. Beck Hansen has faded, but somewhere within, I have been waiting for this album to come for six years.
Between "Morning Phase" and 2008's "Modern Guilt," Beck has produced multiple albums for other artists, covered entire albums with his Record Club project and has done some songs here and there for himself. Doing duets with Bats for Lashes, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jack White and MGMT can only satisfy a fan for so long. When he announced he was releasing an album in 2014, I was ecstatic. I was a little worried, though. He said this would be a sequel to his 2002 album "Sea Change." This was disappointing news at first. "Sea Change" is some of his best work for having a uniquely slow, depressing, layered sound. I didn't want to hear more sad, moaning, acoustic songs from Beck. Luckily, this album keeps the instrumentation but replaces the somberness with joy. It's the happiest Beck has ever sounded.

The opening chords of "Morning" might sound exactly like Beck's 2002 track "The Golden Age," but the lyrics are more optimistic and he uses a higher vocal range. In fact, Beck's voice throughout "Morning Phase" hits notes we've never heard him sing before. Also, the production on this album sounds huge. Most of his work from the last decade sounded like small-scale alternative radio music. No, none of these songs sound like they belong on the radio, but they demand a great pair of speakers.
"Heart Is a Drum" is a pleasant surprise. Its song structure is reminiscent of 70s singer-songwriters like Don McLean, even post-Beatles McCartney. The lyrics are cheesy, but I think that's the point. The overdubbed vocals on the album make his voice shine, especially on tracks like "Unforgiven" and "Waking Light." There's no trace of the raspy, grungy voice we used to know.
However, this album has its downfalls. I don't always connect with Beck's lyrics here. It's a problem he's had for about 10 years. He reuses the same few words and cliches and tosses them around. The first words on this album are "woke up this morning." The chorus to "Blue Moon" simply says, "Oh, don't leave me on my own, you left me standing all alone." I know he's trying to paint some imagery to his songs, but we get the point.
With "Morning Phase," Beck continues his streak of making albums that don't suck. The string-arrangements that interlude from song-to-song give the album a warm, enjoyable flow. The album's structure is easy to understand. Each track is in its right place. Beck speeds things up on the album's climax "Turn Away." It's a great track, but I wish it had more dramatic volume. I wish some of these songs were catchier, particularly the overly-complicated "Blackbird Chain." It's my obvious pick for least favorite track.
I mentioned earlier that none of the songs here are radio-worthy, but the album has some truly great moments. The string arrangements on "Wave," which were provided by Beck's father Glen Campbell, required some serious musical chops to compose. The percussion on "Heart Is a Drum" is classic for driving down the highway with the window down. The album's opening sounds so crisp, you know you know the rest of the journey will be a comfortable ride.
I'm a big fan of the depressing "Sea Change" album. "Morning Phase" is a worthy sequel, hopefully a new beginning for Beck. It's his best album in over 10 years, an easy, joyful listen. My stingy critical side tells me this album is nothing new, but at the end of the day, I love this album and I know it.

MY RATING: 8/10

Sun Kil Moon's "Benji" tells hundreds of stories

Mark Kozelek is a folk musician from San Francisco who makes music under the name Sun Kil Moon. None of his albums have reached the top 100 of the Billboard album chart. Not only is he highly unpopular with the youngsters but even music critics have been indecisive on what to think of his music. With "Benji," Sun Kil Moon is breaking these barriers.
Sun Kil Moon's songwriting recipe has always been basic. All his songs are depressing, he likes to groan a lot and the instrumentation sounds like any average folk song. However, Kozelek has always had great potential as an artist. I can honestly say he's been writing some personal, creative music. Not but two weeks ago, he released "Benji." I didn't think much of it at the time. Surprisingly, "Benji" has since received a substantial amount of critical acclaim. No matter what I reviewed this week, I knew I had to listen to "Benji."

Perhaps Mark Kozelek has become used to people not listening to his music and figured he could pour his entire soul onto a record with only a few people actually hearing it. Perhaps he decided he'd get more listeners if he told his life story into a microphone and over-used a bunch of personal pronouns in the process. Whether Kozelek wants you to hear this album or not, I strongly recommend you hear this album.
The music here isn't all that catchy. The instrumentation is nothing too exciting. All of the groaning sounds the same. The album cover is a blurry photo that looks like it was taken from a car window. The album might seem bland aside from Kozelek's sincere, heartbreaking lyrics. Luckily, he never shuts up.
Some of my favorite albums tell a story. What makes this album unique is that there are hundreds of stories being told. On "Dogs," Kozelek tells us about his first kiss, the first time he lost his virginity and the first time he was heartbroken, each story attached with the names involved and painfully literal imagery. The songs either mention somebody's death or are completely about death. Album-closer "Ben's My Friend" may not talk about death, but it talks about Kozelek's friendship with Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service front man Ben Gibbard.
As absolutely depressing as "Benji" is, it does have a sense of humor. The album gets its title from the 1974 film about a dog that Kozelek watched for the first time around the first time he met his grandma. We learn this from the track "Micheline," where he says the word "grandma" 27 times. "Ben's My Friend" is the catchiest song on the album but oddly enough, the choruses are about crab cakes and sports bars. "I Love My Dad" has some of the funniest lyrics I've heard since I was into the Barenaked Ladies. "When I was five, I came home from Kindergarten crying cuz they sat me next to an albino. Then right after dinner, he played me the album 'They Only Come Out At Night' by Edgar Winter." The classic rock references on this album are just glorious.
There are moments of laughter and even moments of hope, but overall, this album is haunted. The only things I have in common with Mark Kozelek is that I love music and I'm from northern California. Other than that, this guy is 47 years old. In his time, he's sipped many beers, slept with many women and has seen so many people come and go in his life. This album reveals both his fondest and darkest memories. Sun Kil Moon has been making depressing music for years, but this is the most direct and most wordy work he's done yet. In fact, this is the most direct and most wordy work anybody has made yet. According to SPIN reviewer Garrett Kamps, the album's lyrics contain 5,287 words.
Depressing folk music is nothing new but this is practically a human being's soul on record. Especially on the 10-and-a-half minute masterpiece "I Watched the Film 'The Song Remains the Same.'" I've seen that film myself. It's a terrible movie made by the great Led Zeppelin while they were under the influence of drugs. Hearing Kozelek talk so specifically about each aspect of the movie and how it reminds him of death and melancholia gives me the chills something vicious. There's even this mandolin part that's reminiscent of "Led Zeppelin III." It's hard to forget.
Some might argue that all the cultural references on this album are just stupid. Some might say everything done here has already done before. It's arguably not as good as Sun Kil Moon's 2008 Neil Young-esque album "April." In the middle of the day "Benji' sounds generally okay, but it sounds perfect at 1 a.m. Either way, the album cover is a snapshot of what you're probably doing as you listen to it: Driving down the highway with years and years of memories burning behind you. Spilling your guts out for nearly 60 minutes is a bold move and everybody reading this needs to hear what that sounds like.

Let's Talk About Love Songs: My Valentine's Day Playlist

I've decided to take one more week off from reviewing albums. I can't get a hold of a free listen of the new Broken Bells album, which was requested by a friend of mine. I myself was considering reviewing the new Sun Kil Moon album "Benji," which has received critical acclaim up to wazoo within the past week, but the online streams are super sketchy. Later in the month, I will definitely be reviewing the new albums by St. Vincent and Beck. People, Valentine's Day is this Friday. My cold, critical heart is starting to soften. Let's talk about love songs.
Love songs are hard for me to get my head around. They're easy to understand and they're enjoyable, but I can't really sit here and judge what makes one love song better than another. It's like they're all the same, only not. Like I said, they're hard for me to get my head around. Just talking about it makes me feel unoriginal and unintelligent.
If you want to impress your significant other by showing some unique taste in music while showing your corny emotions at the same time, I made a playlist for you. A Valentine's Day playlist from your's truly. I may not know everything about music, but I know a thing or two about love, baby!
"Be My Baby" -The Ronettes (1963)
Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson once said of this song, "Once you've heard that record, you're a fan forever." Sure, this song was an important leap forward for music production and studio recording tactics, but chances are your significant other doesn't care about this. Perhaps a rock and roll history lesson isn't required in order to enjoy simply sweet, straight forward lyrics. The backing vocals in the chorus sound so big, yet the words are so basic. It takes a few words and glorifies, romanticizes them. "Be my, be my baby." This is pop music at its most sentimental.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space" -Spiritualized (1997)
I felt like this playlist needed a starry-eyed British love song with crazy production sounds. Like this song, love is amazing and weird all at the same time. Almost all the lyrics are direct quotes from Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love." While Jason Pierce is basically whispering Presley's words into an intercom system, a choir sings them in the background. The atmosphere of this song gives a unique perspective on romance. Falling in love is the equivalent to floating in space while stars explode in the distance.
"Let's Stay Together" -Al Green (1971)
This song is so darn sexy. Al Green's music is 50% love, 50% lust and 100% honesty. All he's suggesting in this song is that he and his loved one "stay together." He might be implying more than that, though. "Loving you forever is all that I need. Let me be the one you come running to." Ladies, don't you wish your boyfriends would say stuff like this to you? Also, you have to love the percussion on this track.

"Downtown Train" -Tom Waits (1985)
This song has a certain emotion packed into it that's rare to find in music these days. My dad once described Tom Waits as beautiful music being sung by Cookie Monster. No, Tom's voice is not the most appealing thing in the world. However, he paints a beautiful picture in this song. Standing under a lamp post in a city intersection, climbing up the fire escape to your girl's apartment window under a yellow moon and all the Brooklyn girls hanging out by the train tracks. With all the energy in his soul, Tom is "shining like a new dime," just dying to see his girl tonight.
"Naked As We Came" -Iron & Wine (2004)
I'm still not sure if this is actually a love song or not, but a chick will probably dig it if you grab an acoustic guitar and play this song for her. Samuel Beam has penned many love songs, but the fact that this one isn't as obvious makes it my favorite of his. It's fun to play on guitar too.
"God Only Knows" -The Beach Boys (1966)
Brian Wilson claims that he came up with this song in the middle of a prayer. Pitchfork Media called this song the best song of the 1960s and Paul McCartney has called it his favorite song of all time. Is it possible for a love song to have spiritual quality? This song is a teardrop and a "yes" in response. It's difficult to name every instrument being used to record this song, but it blends perfectly. The song begins with a french horn, sleigh bells and an accordion. Somehow, The Beach Boys can place this sound next to songs like "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Surfin' Safari" on greatest hits compilations without it being a hiccup. Instead, it's a highlight. This is arguably the greatest song of all time. This is Love Song Composition 101.
"I Can Change" -LCD Soundsystem (2010)
This song is both the youngest on the list on the easiest one to dance to. James Murphy makes fun music for the dance floor, but can get pretty emotional. Here, his emotion is joy. The chorus is catchy beyond all reason and the lyrics are pure gold. "Love is a murder," "love is a curse, shoved in a hearse." It's basically a man spilling his guts out with a marriage proposal at an 80's techno club.
"Strange Powers" -The Magnetic Fields (1994)
This song is a hidden gem. It isn't found on The Magnetic Fields's three-disc album "69 Love Songs." It's on my playlist because it has the greatest rhyming couplet know to man. "On the Ferris wheel, looking out on Coney Island, are there more stars than there are prostitutes in Thailand?" That is a great question, Stephen Merritt. He then goes on to sing about cotton candy, Las Vegas electric bills and flying saucers. Let's face it, this song is amazing.
"What Is Life?" -George Harrison (1971)
George Harrison is my favorite Beatle. I might just be saying this because I'm a guitarist, but the few songs George wrote for the band are classics. Anyways, "What Is Life?" is a celebration of a love song. The guitar hook is catchy. The horns section is joyful, hard-hitting and very cheesy. Your loved one will enjoy this track because it just sounds so 70's. The only words you need to know are the chorus and it's a fun time.
"Lovefool" -The Cardigans (1996)
If you can name more than one song by The Cardigans, I commend you, but this is all you really need to know. If you don't like this song, you don't have a heart. It may come off as too annoying or playful to some listeners, but those people are no fun to be around anyways. We're talking about love, people. We're talking about pop music. These two things combined aren't always supposed to be taken seriously. "Dear, I fear that we have a problem" isn't a realistic phrase in relationships, but it sure sounds fun when you sing it at the beginning of this song. Everything that follows is history.
Album reviews will return next week. Meanwhile, happy Valentine's Day. Turn your hormones on.